Irvine Unified School District

An autopsy Tuesday determined that an Irvine teacher who collapsed and died in his classroom suffered from cardiovascular disease, authorities said. Students at Woodbridge High School found the teacher, Kent Bentley, during lunchtime Monday and alerted staff members, said Ian Hanigan, spokesman for the Irvine Unified School District. "A staff member administered CPR," he said. "But despite their best efforts, he couldn't be revived. " Bentley, 46, taught English and coached wrestling at Woodbridge for 12 years.

Like our favorite books, each of our careers in education has a beginning, a middle and an end. After much thought and reflection, I have decided that this year will mark my final chapter as superintendent, and I have appropriately notified the Board of Education of my intent to retire in June. My life in public education has been a thrill ride that has lasted nearly 40 years, and I am particularly proud to finish it in the Irvine Unified School District. I don't have to tell you that this is a special place, full of dedicated professionals who have built world-class schools with wisdom, foresight and hard work.

Students at Westpark Elementary in Irvine were back in class by 10:30 a.m. Thursday after officials failed to find evidence of a planted bomb, as threatened by a caller, authorities said. The school was evacuated after campus officials received an anonymous call at 9:45 a.m. claiming that an explosive device was set to detonate, authorities said. Campus administration immediately evacuated the school and contacted police, according to an email sent to parents. Police and school officials searched the campus and did not find anything suspicious, said Lt. Julia Engen, spokeswoman for the Irvine Police Department.

Deepa Bharath A 38-year-old Newport Beach teacher who worked with children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was charged Thursday with buying a videotape that contained child pornography, officials said. Daniel T. Flynn has agreed to plead guilty to one count of receiving child pornography, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Lee said. The investigation began in March when Flynn sent an e-mail to an undercover U.S. postal inspector seeking to purchase a 30-minute videotape of minors engaging in sexually explicit acts, officials said.

Irvine police are searching for a man they say lured a young girl to his car and then exposed himself to her. The 6-year-old child was walking home from school with two older siblings about 1:45 p.m. near Deerfield and Yale avenues, according to a statement from Irvine police. As she trailed behind her siblings, a man pulled up to the curb and started talking to her, asking where she goes to school and where she lives, police said. He then allegedly asked her if she'd "seen this" and exposed himself to her as she looked in the open passenger-side window.

I just read with indignation Sunday's Q&A with Sue Bryant, dean of UCI's biological science school ("FOCUSing on the Future"). Her claim that "We have some really smart kids who don't get into medical school who would make great teachers," feeds the myth that teachers choose their profession because they can't do any better. Unfortunately, Bryant's opinion has already filtered down to our youth. As a high school teacher in the Irvine Unified School District, I often get the query from my students as to why, with all my credentials, honors and potential, including more than 80 units of postgraduate work, I am "just a teacher."

Kids Potential, in partnership with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Orange County, is hosting its first-ever Spring Benefit from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday in Costa Mesa. The free event at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, 686 Anton Blvd., aims to bring awareness about the Irvine-based nonprofit and its programs. Donations will be accepted. The benefit will feature cocktails, appetizers, speakers and networking. Speakers include: Gregory Koch and Kids Potential founder Shirin Ansari, who will both discuss "mindful parenting;" Paul Merage, founder and chief executive of Merage Foundations, who will speak on philanthropy; Gene Howard, chief executive of CASA Orange County; and Jean Mylen, a positive behavior consultant and former Irvine Unified School District principal.

Paul Clinton NEWPORT BEACH -- To halt an Irvine Co. project that would remove 670 acres of open space from Orange County, Bob Caustin did what he does best. He filed a lawsuit. In the suit, filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court, Caustin challenged Irvine's environmental review of the project. The high-density project could defile a section of the Upper Newport Bay watershed, Caustin alleges, by causing dangerous increases in traffic, air pollution and energy consumption.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is being termed out of his 70th Assembly District seat and running for the U.S. Senate, and there is a crowded field of candidates vying to replace him. They are four Republicans, two Democrats and a Libertarian. Among them are three well-known, well-connected public officials and a two-time Democratic challenger to DeVore. The 70th District, which has been reliably Republican, includes most of Newport Beach, as well as all of Irvine, Foothill Ranch, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest, and parts of Aliso Viejo and Tustin.

Last week, several remarkably generous gifts from private sources saved the heart and soul of the Irvine Unified School District for another year -- and sent absolutely the wrong message to the one-third of the electorate in both Irvine and Newport-Mesa who have the power to withhold desperately needed financing for their public schools. The operative word here is "public." Our public schools serve all of our young people and fill an absolutely vital role in any working democratic society.

Students at Westpark Elementary in Irvine were back in class by 10:30 a.m. Thursday after officials failed to find evidence of a planted bomb, as threatened by a caller, authorities said. The school was evacuated after campus officials received an anonymous call at 9:45 a.m. claiming that an explosive device was set to detonate, authorities said. Campus administration immediately evacuated the school and contacted police, according to an email sent to parents. Police and school officials searched the campus and did not find anything suspicious, said Lt. Julia Engen, spokeswoman for the Irvine Police Department.

Irvine police are searching for a man they say lured a young girl to his car and then exposed himself to her. The 6-year-old child was walking home from school with two older siblings about 1:45 p.m. near Deerfield and Yale avenues, according to a statement from Irvine police. As she trailed behind her siblings, a man pulled up to the curb and started talking to her, asking where she goes to school and where she lives, police said. He then allegedly asked her if she'd "seen this" and exposed himself to her as she looked in the open passenger-side window.

Kids Potential, in partnership with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Orange County, is hosting its first-ever Spring Benefit from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday in Costa Mesa. The free event at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, 686 Anton Blvd., aims to bring awareness about the Irvine-based nonprofit and its programs. Donations will be accepted. The benefit will feature cocktails, appetizers, speakers and networking. Speakers include: Gregory Koch and Kids Potential founder Shirin Ansari, who will both discuss "mindful parenting;" Paul Merage, founder and chief executive of Merage Foundations, who will speak on philanthropy; Gene Howard, chief executive of CASA Orange County; and Jean Mylen, a positive behavior consultant and former Irvine Unified School District principal.

SANTA ANA — Speaking from behind a glass partition in Orange County Jail, the Irvine man accused of killing a 14-year-old Irvine cheerleader while driving drunk expressed sadness and concern Friday for the families affected by the May 29 collision. Austin Jeffrey Farley did not admit or deny responsibility for the teenager's death, saying that he is not the "careless maniac" being portrayed in the media. "As a human being, as a person, I feel terrible for their family," he said.

The Irvine Unified School District has unveiled a 7,300-panel solar project spread across 15 buildings. The venture is expected to save the district $8 million to $10 million over 20 years. The district held a dedication ceremony Wednesday morning at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, 4861 Michelson Drive, to "flip the switch" on the project that will supplement 25% to 60% of each building's electricity consumption. "Kids are really excited about this," said Supt. Gwen Gross.

Like our favorite books, each of our careers in education has a beginning, a middle and an end. After much thought and reflection, I have decided that this year will mark my final chapter as superintendent, and I have appropriately notified the Board of Education of my intent to retire in June. My life in public education has been a thrill ride that has lasted nearly 40 years, and I am particularly proud to finish it in the Irvine Unified School District. I don't have to tell you that this is a special place, full of dedicated professionals who have built world-class schools with wisdom, foresight and hard work.

An autopsy Tuesday determined that an Irvine teacher who collapsed and died in his classroom suffered from cardiovascular disease, authorities said. Students at Woodbridge High School found the teacher, Kent Bentley, during lunchtime Monday and alerted staff members, said Ian Hanigan, spokesman for the Irvine Unified School District. "A staff member administered CPR," he said. "But despite their best efforts, he couldn't be revived. " Bentley, 46, taught English and coached wrestling at Woodbridge for 12 years.

Recent data from a national magazine that crunched numbers and compiled percentages from Advanced Placement test scores would seem to upend the age-old notion that students who attend high schools in wealthier neighborhoods automatically achieve better test scores. In Newsweek's June compilation of America's Top High Schools, which tallied up the Advanced Placement scores at 27,000 high schools across the country, Costa Mesa High School ranked 1,500th and Estancia High School came in at 1,148th.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is being termed out of his 70th Assembly District seat and running for the U.S. Senate, and there is a crowded field of candidates vying to replace him. They are four Republicans, two Democrats and a Libertarian. Among them are three well-known, well-connected public officials and a two-time Democratic challenger to DeVore. The 70th District, which has been reliably Republican, includes most of Newport Beach, as well as all of Irvine, Foothill Ranch, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest, and parts of Aliso Viejo and Tustin.

Deepa Bharath A 38-year-old Newport Beach teacher who worked with children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was charged Thursday with buying a videotape that contained child pornography, officials said. Daniel T. Flynn has agreed to plead guilty to one count of receiving child pornography, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Lee said. The investigation began in March when Flynn sent an e-mail to an undercover U.S. postal inspector seeking to purchase a 30-minute videotape of minors engaging in sexually explicit acts, officials said.